The Capital One Cash Rewards- $100 Cash Back Bonus Credit Card is a new rewards credit card issued by Capital One (NYSE:COF) for those of you who have excellent credit and want to earn rewards for every dollar you spend. Something I like about this MasterCard (NYSE:MA) is that it gives you a 50% anniversary bonus each year – a feature not commonly seen in most rewards cards. In this review of the Capital One Cash Rewards credit card, I will give you a better idea of its main benefits and tell you what to watch out for.

Things We Like About This Card

No annual fee. You will enjoy and earn rewards without having to pay any annual membership fee.

Receive $100 after spending $500 within the first 3 months of card membership. After spending only $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of receiving your card, you will receive $100, which is the equivalent of a 20% discount on your $500 of purchases.

0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers until June 2013. This is a great intro offer since most cards only give you 6-8 months of 0% intro APR. If you’re planning on making a large purchase, or transferring your debt from another card to this card, you will have until June 2013 to pay it back without incurring any interest so long as you make your monthly minimum payments on time. After this introductory period, your APR will be between 12.9% and 20.9% depending on your credit worthiness.

Earn 1% cash back on every purchase you make with your card. You will earn 1% cash back on all categories of purchases throughout the year.

You will receive 50% bonus cash back on the cash back you earn every year. For example, if you earn $300 cash back in one year, you will receive a bonus equal to 50% of what you earned that year, which would give you a total of $450 cash back for that year. Do note that you will earn this anniversary bonus on your membership anniversary each year, not at the end of a calendar year.

No pre-set spending limit if you are approved for a World MasterCard. This gives you flexibility if you need to make a big purchase for an amount above your credit limit with your card. However, if you are given a credit line of less than $5,000, you will get a Platinum MasterCard instead which does not offer this feature.

There is no limit to the cash back you can earn and your rewards never expire. You can also redeem your points at any time for statement credits or a check. You can also redeem for gift cards and you can set up automatic redemption so that you don’t have to worry about redeeming your cash back.

Travel Accident Insurance. You will be covered with this insurance when you pay for your travel tickets with this Capital One Cash Rewards card.

Extended Warranty on the purchases you make using this card.

$0 Fraud Liability. You won’t be liable to pay for anything that is charged on your card if it gets lost or stolen and used without your permission.

Auto rental insurance. When you rent a vehicle, you will be covered in the case of damage, collision or loss of the vehicle.

24-hour travel assistance. If you need any help while you’re on the road, by making one simple call you’ll have the assistance you need.

Enjoy special discounts at partner restaurants. This MasterCard Dining feature lets you make reservations online at popular restaurants in the U.S. and also lets you check out restaurant reviews online.

Our Least Favorite Things About This Card

You don’t earn 5% cash back on any purchase. Unlike other credit cards, Capital One Cash Rewards doesn’t give you 5% cash back on any of your purchases (like some cards do in specific categories), although it does give you a 50% bonus on all the cash back you earn yearly.

Our Verdict: 4.5/5 Stars

If you’re looking for a cash back credit card that will reward you for every dollar you spend for no annual fee, Capital One Cash Rewards is a card you should consider. Even though this card only gives you 1% cash back on all your purchases, because of the 50% anniversary bonus on the cash back you earn each year, it evens out to 1.5% cash back on all your purchases throughout the year.

As a signing bonus, new card members will receive $100 cash back after spending $500 during the first 3 months of having the card. Since your cash back doesn’t expire, you can accumulate as much as you can.

Capital One Cash Rewards is a great card to get if you want to earn cash back on all your purchases, and enjoy a long introductory period of 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers.

If you prefer a Visa card from Capital One that gives you a signing bonus of 10,000 miles and 2 miles per $1 on all your purchases, you should go for the Capital One Venture Rewards Card (read our review of Capital One Venture Rewards).